The opening night film is fresh out of production and facing its West Coast Premier at DocFest. Composed of interviews with a hefty percentage of America's hipster indie and pop artists, TREASURES OF LONG GONE JOHN probes the art collection and legacy of Long Gone John, record and toy "anti-mogul." The man responsible for Sympathy for the Record Industry and the Necessaries Toy Foundation, Long Gone John is known for signing bands on nothing more formidable than a handshake, but using this strategy (if I can call it that) he signed over 500 bands, many of whom have received widespread recognition. Collection and revering only the music and artwork he felt personally meaningful, Long Gone John slowly amassed a fortune's worth of what others have called "low-brow" art, but over the years, his "low-brow" collection has shifted from fringe to ...something else. A party follows the screening at OnSix Gallery, free admission with your ticket stub. Keep your eyes open for the podcast with director Gregg Gibb!
Riffing on the market that loved Long Gone John, PUNK LIKE ME follows Rich Wilkes as he swindles his way into fulfilling his rock n' roll dreams. Wilkes has a wife, a kid, a BMW (complete with Fugazi sticker), and what looks like an estate but still suffers like a martyr under the weight of his unrealized fantasies (I do poke fun). So, he decides the most authentic think he could do, is lie his way into the Vans Warp Tour. A battle cry for the Grups, this film is as much for boy hipsters as it is for anyone interested in acerbic and self-deprecating humor. It's fun to watch and I'll bet everyone in the 24-39 demographic (at least) can watch this film and if not relate themselves, then see one of their friends in it. Podcast with Rich Wilkes available! 
On a more self-consciously jarring level, REALITY SHOW looks at Dan Sherbondy, a middle-aged millionaire who has decided his next great success will be a reality show. With no real television experience (except for a ridiculously slapped together pilot called "Two Pimps and a Dwarf") he assembles a legion of (mostly amateur) crew, and young women in a small town in Mexico. Outfitted with a wife beater, Mardi Gras beads and a power trip, Sherbody shows us just what "attention hungry" means. Not an actual indictment of reality programming, the film is hilarious and fun and really worth putting on your festival plans. I'm a fan. Full review available. Keep your eyes open for the podcast with director Colin Trevorrow!
For those interested in still self-aware but more literate pursuits, AS SMART AS THEY ARE: THE AUTHOR PROJECT is the documentary about One Ring Zero, the two man band that started at Dave Eggars McSweeney's Store in New York and networked its way into writing songs that feature lyrics by clever, hip, New York writers. Culminating into a CD, this project was called "the Author Project." Featuring interviews with all-stars such as Paul Auster, Myla Goldberg, Darin Strauss, Amy Fusselman, and of course, Dave Eggars the film playfully bounces from topic to topic, witty music guiding the path all along. If you've been to the Pirate Store at 826 Valencia and loved it, you'll probably enjoy AS SMART AS THEY ARE.
Following the more explicitly activist oriented tack, LETERS FROM THE OTHER SIDE is a gently probing documentary about the women and families left in Mexico by men who search for better work up North. Though the filmmaker is not a character in the film, her physical labors and actions are subtly made part of the ongoing narrative of the film, as she shepherds video letters from the abandoned wives and mothers to their husbands and sons beyond the border, and back. Going beyond the static question asking so common in many activist oriented documentaries, Heather Courtney posts the questions with the answers and really digs for something to make sense of the suffering. It's lyrical, moving and destined for a solid slot on PBS, I'm sure of it. Podcast with director Heather Courtney available!
The closing night film is CHANCES OF THE WORLD CHANGING and I think you'll be seeing this film in a theatre near you soon enough. A beautifully made picture about Richard Ogust, the Manhattan writer who saved a turtle from a Chinese restaurant ten years ago and then became a major turtle and tortoise caretaker for over a thousand creatures, CHANCES OF THE WRLD CHANGING is cinematic poetry. Paced to offer the viewer a living portrait of Ogust and his story, the film offers meditative moments with the creatures, navigating the spaces the creatures and the caretaker inhabit, exploring Ogust's work and finally, revealing the compromises he has to make in order to ensure his security and future. Topics of extinction and disregard, as well as obsession and care are broached in gentle, natural ways that genuinely provoke inquiry and compassion. It's gorgeous and a must see of the fest. Secure tickets early! Review and Podcast interview with director Eric Daniel Metzgar available!
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